Landry Signs $75 Million Contract Extension With Browns

FILE – In this March 15, 2018, file photo, Cleveland Browns’ Jarvis Landry speaks at an NFL football press conference in Berea, Ohio. A person familiar with the negotiations says the Browns are close to finalizing a contract extension with star wide receiver Jarvis Landry. The sides remain in talks but expect to get a deal done, said the person who spoke Thursday, April 12, 2018, to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been finalized.(Joshua Gunter/The Plain Dealer via AP, File)

By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer

CLEVELAND (AP) — Before throwing Jarvis Landry a pass, the Browns made a huge commitment to him.

Cleveland signed the star wide receiver to a five-year, $75 million contract extension on Friday night, locking up a game-changing player they’re counting on for the future.

A three-time Pro Bowler acquired last month in a trade with Miami, Landry was at the team’s headquarters Friday as the Browns continued preparations for an NFL draft that may re-shape their franchise.

“Jarvis Landry is the type of football player we want on this team for a long time,” general manager John Dorsey said. “Obviously, he’s an accomplished playmaker, that’s why we went after him in the trade but in his short time as a Brown we can already see the type of leadership and competitiveness he’s going to bring to his teammates. We are very pleased that we’ve been able to secure him to a long-term contract.”

Landry led the NFL with 112 catches last season and scored nine touchdowns, two more than Cleveland’s entire receiving corps.

The 25-year-old will make an immediate impact for a Cleveland team that lost all 16 games last season and is 1-31 in two years under coach Hue Jackson.

“I’ve always dreamed of two things: taking care of my family and playing football,” Landry said. “I’ve become a product of hard work, sacrifice, persistence, and mental toughness. Jerry Rice said the thing that made him so great was the fear of failure. I’ve been afraid of failure my whole life. I’ve endured my share, but in each and every discomforting time I’ve failed, I’ve also grown, I’ve also learned, I’ve also found success.”

The Browns have the No. 1 and No. 4 overall picks and are expected to select a quarterback. However, that pick is likely to spend at least one season backing up newly acquired QB Tyrod Taylor, who will have Landry as a target.

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